New Hope Ministries
History
1996 - 2012
In 1996, New Hope Ministries was founded by John and Yolande Leroy under the umbrella of World Outreach International. The Leroys felt the call of God for the island of Borneo to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Initially, they started several churches in remote villages. Through this they realised that many of the children never had the opportunity to go to school as often villages did not have a primary school and even fewer villages had secondary schools. To meet this need, New Hope Ministries established a children’s boarding home in Sanggau. Children from rural villages could come to the city of Sanggau to attend school and stay at this home called „Wisma Damai Sejahtera“ (Home of Eternal Peace).
On the 1st of December 2012, during a visit to Australia, John Leroy very unexpectedly succumbed to a serious health issue. Before he went home to his Heavenly Father, the Leroys entrusted New Hope Ministries to the supervision of World Outreach International.
Over almost 20 years, through John and Yolande’s ministry, many children came to know Jesus Christ as well as having had the opportunity for education.
2012 - 2015
In November 2012, at the request of World Outreach, Jan Willem and Marlinde Tamminga took on the role of Operations Managers of New Hope Ministries. The Tammingas, along with their three children, had served at another children’s ministry in Kalimantan, Indonesia since 2009.
After successfully leading New Hope Ministry for almost three years, the Tamminga family returned to the Netherlands in mid 2015.
2015
In July 2015, Wolfgang and Heidi Oelschlegel moved to New Hope Ministries to take the role of Operations Managers. Working together with them are a committed team of young Indonesian staff.
Wolfgang and Heidi were missionaries in Kenya for ten years and moved to Borneo Island in 2010. For the last five years they have been ministering in rural villages in Kalimatan involved in Christian Community Development, helping to equip the local congregations and developing a network of kindergartens.
Our leaders
Vision
“New Hope Ministries exists to impact the Dayak people group in West- Kalimantan with the gospel of Jesus Christ”
The New Hope Ministries goals are:
- Support local pastors / churches
- Taking care of children in the children’s home “Wisma Damai Sejahtera” (Eternal Peace Centre)
Especially this second goal is the main focus of this ministry. Children are the adults of the future. Children are future leaders! Because of that it is so important to give them a good place to grow up in.
Therefore the vision of the children’s home “Wisma Damai Sejahtera” is:
“Wisma damai Sejahtera provides children with a safe and healthy environment to grow in their love for God and reach their full potential
Wisma Damai Sejahtera
At this moment “Wisma Damai Sejahtera” exists of two buildings with sleeping places, a building for the youngets children, a house with an office and several classrooms, a leaders house, a building for visitors/ helpers, a canteen and a big aula.
About 120 children live in the childrens home. Some of the children have only one parent, and about ten percent are total orphans. We have children from the age of five up to above twenty years of age. The youngest ones already start with primary school here in Sanggau, many oft he older children come for their Lower and Higher Secondary School education.
Would you like to help build a future of one of these children? Look here for your options.
Typical day at NHM
A day from the life of Leo, a nine years old boy who lives in the New Hope Ministries:
Every day I get up between 4.30 and 5.00 am and start the day with washing myself in a big ‘pond’. It is still a bit dark. We pray together for a new day. After that I have breakfast with my friends. Breakfast is rice and vegetables. We eat rice three times day, like all other Indonesians.
At six o’clock am I walk to school because it starts early – 7 o’clock. At school I have classes like mathematics, Indnonesian language and all other subjects. We also exercise at school. At the end of the morning school is finished and we walk home together.
After lunch we take a rest. It is always very hot here so we always take a nap after lunch. After our nap I do my homework and after that I help with chores around the house, like sweeping floors and helping with the laundry.
Twice a week I have extra classes in the ministry, English and arts. I like that a lot because I learn many new things. After that we are free to play. I like football but most of all I like climbing trees with my friends. We have a house tree and I often play there.
At six o’clock pm we have dinner and it gets dark right away. We sing and pray together and listen to a story from the bible which I love! Then we go to bed. Sometimes when there is no electricity we need to find our bed in the dark but luckily the sun raises always the next morning!
Further education
Most people in Indonesia cannot continue studying after secondary school. Universities are far away and very expensive. That is why NHM wants to help young people continue to study after secondary school.
Some of our young people have already studied; English, Mathematics and other things. Some are teachers now and other help in the ministry.
Going to university is expensive. The students also have to go to other, bigger cities where they have universities, like Pontianak, the capital of Kalimantan. Because of this there are also costs for living and renting a room that need to be paid. In total one year at university per student costs about 2000 dollar.
Would you like to help build the future for one of our young people? Click here to see the options.
Local pastors
New Hope Ministries was started with a focus on planting churches in remote villages and equipping local pastors to lead them. Often, these were laymen with a heart to serve God and their congregations and were trained „on the job“, leading their churches for years while still working as farmers.
Some of them have joined a regional network of local pastors that has developed over the years. Here they can share their experiences, get mutual advice and also further training. NHM continues to support them with the aim of helping them to become self sufficient.
Would you like to help and bless these pastors? Click here to see the options.